Cycling and Walking Routes should be a consistent colour says Cycle Kirklees

Cycle Kirklees has asked for a meeting with Kirklees Highways about several cycle path design issues.
We want to discuss the use of a consistent borough-wide road colouring for all dedicated cycling and walking routes shared with (or adjacent to) the road network. Our view is that this should become the norm as the cycling/walking network grows.
A green surface colouring is already in use in Ramsden Street outside Huddersfield Town Hall, but the latest cycle route in Dundas St is black top. Green surfaces are used in Leeds (with some red in the city centre) and red is the default in Sheffield. What do you think ?
We also want to focus in a meeting on shared use and access issues.

Dewsbury: EPIKS delivers five e-Bike events but cancels September and October programme

The summer cycling programme, supported by Dewsbury’s Kirklees councillors, introduced residents to the benefits of the e-bike by offering test rides and “show and tell” to visitors.
EPIKS will publish a report in September including data from the launch event. Despite two events with low turnout, over 300 people attended these community based events in June and July. The feedback from nearly a hundred people who took e-bike test rides with an instructor was ‘very positive – even life changing’.
Several more events were planned including two Greenways events, an e-bike loan scheme and an e-cargo bike demonstration event at Dewsbury Rams’ Tetley Stadium. All were cancelled in late August due to ‘funding uncertainties’.

*Photo: EPIKS last e-bike event – Thornhill Trojans car park, Dewsbury*

Guarded welcome for Council’s plans for Dewsbury Town Centre

Responding to consultations on Dewsbury Town Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements, Cycle Kirklees’ submission criticises the way the improvements are designed with “shared-use footways and toucan crossings as the primary infrastructure instead of dedicated cycle tracks”.

The campaign endorses the short-term benefits of the plans, saying they “do create a safer environment by removing people on bicycles from the heavy traffic on the A-Road junctions with the Dewsbury Ring Road.”

However, the campaign says that “if our aim is to provide for a small increase from the current levels of cycling, then this design may have been acceptable, but we as a community are looking to increase cycling levels across the district by over 2000% and reduce car journeys by 25%. For this to succeed, more needs to be done to make cycling coherent, safe, comfortable, direct, and attractive”.

Cycle Kirklees says it will commit to working with Kirklees Council to make the most of the current proposals for people walking and wheeling. It notes the importance of securing political support “to reallocate the necessary road space to allow for dedicated cycle infrastructure”. The submission is available using the link below.

Cycle Kirklees Submission on Dewsbury Town Centre

*Photo: Ebike event in Savile Town Park in Dewsbury (July)*

Dewsbury Town Park

The Dewsbury Cycling and Walking Improvements feed directly into Dewsbury Town Park which sits between Dewsbury Town Hall and Long Causeway. With the customer service centre to be demolished and relocated, it will include a two way cycle track running along the current course of Long Causeway.
Cycle Kirklees is supportive of plans to improve the town centre and create an environment where people will wish to spend more time. For this to work effectively more will need to be done to limit or reduce vehicular traffic within the Dewsbury ring road. We welcome the inclusion of a planned cycle route in the park so long as it results in a linked network.

Log on to Spacehive

Cycle Active City conference feedback

Cycle Kirklees committee members, Chris Knight and Rutger Clarke attended Cycle Active Sheffield in July and came back with lots of new ideas and contacts. It also became clear that West Yorkshire (WYCA) is behind other areas in championing active travel.
Will our Mayor appoint a Cycling or AT Commissioner? Their existence (see photo) appears to put active travel on a stronger footing – an important consideration now that Active Travel England is planning a funding programme for local action and for NGOs.

Successful crowd-funding for Holme Deliveries e-cargo bike project

In September, Holme Deliveries will start to demonstrate its potential in the Holme Valley as a result of success in recent Spacehive crowdfunding, supported by Kirklees Council’s “Making Better Places” funding.
The project will be using its e-cargo bike for deliveries and services with a range of business and community organisations as clients.
A workshop on e-cargo bike projects at Cycle Active City in Sheffield in July provided some tips – see photo.

Save the Date

Friday 23^rd September:
E-cargo bike information event by EPIKS with test rides. Aimed at SMEs & employers (Tetley Stadium, Dewsbury) CANCELLED
Sunday 2^nd October:
Greenways rides from Dewsbury Country Park. CANCELLED
Saturday 5^th November (10.00 – 13.00) in Huddersfield
Improving traffic-free cycling and walking routes – a conference organised by Cycle Kirklees in association with Huddersfield Civic Society.
PROGRAMME AND BOOKING DETAILS IN SEPTEMBER